M^V 


rn?i^. 


(33 


LETTER  OF  INSTRUCTIONS 


JflissimtHnes  in  the  ISest  Jitdies. 


LETTER  OF  INSTRUCTIONS 


FROM 

THE  MISSION  DEPARTMENT 

OF 

THE  ELDERS’  CONFERENCE 

OF  THE 

(Jlutrrh  of  flu4  luitd 

TO  THE 

MISSIONARIES  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES. 


Dear  Brethren, 

When  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  sent  forth  His  disci¬ 
ples,  after  His  resurrection,  He  commanded  them,  say¬ 
ing  :  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to 
every  creature.” — (Mark  xvi.  15.) 

Obedient  to  this  command,  and  urged  on  by  tender 
love  for  the  perishing  heathen,  our  first  Brethren  went 
out  to  the  West  Indies  in  the  year  1732,  not  long  after 
they  had  found  a  new  home  at  Herrnhut.  Many  others 
have  followed  their  noble  example,  and  in  the  course  of 
time  Missions  of  our  Church  have  been  established  in 
eight  of  the  West  India  Islands,  which  the  Lord  has 
owned  and  blessed. 

A 


2 


It  is  no  small  tiling  to  serve  aright  a  congregation 
gathered  from  among  the  heathen  :  to  watch  over  the  flock 
after  the  example  of  the  “  Chief  Shepherd  ;”  to  “  make 
it  lie  down  in  green  pastures  and  lead  it  beside  the  still 
waters  ;”  to  nurse  the  sick ;  to  heal  the  bruised,  to  seek 
the  lost,  to  reclaim  the  straying ;  in  short,  to  deal  with 
immortal  souls,  that  “  have  been  redeemed  with  the  pre¬ 
cious  blood  of  Christ.” 

With  the  view  of  aiding  and  encouraging  you  in  this 
great  and  responsible  work,  we  put  these  instructions 
into  your  hands,  which  have  been  drawn  up  in  accordance 
with  a  resolution  of  the  Missionary  Conference  held  at  St. 
Thomas,  from  June  15  to  25,  1863.  (See  Report,  Chap, 
vii.  §  3.) 

They  will  point  out  to  you — 

I.  Your  Duties  as  Missionaries  of  the  Brethren’s 
Church. 

II.  The  principles,  ivhich  are  to  animate  and  guide  you 
in  the  performance  of  the  same. 

Notice  then : — 

I. — YOUR  DUTIES  AS  MISSIONARIES  OF  THE 
BRETHREN'S  CHURCH. 

§  1.  Preaching  the  Gospel. 

Your  first  and  great  duty  is  :  to  preach  the  Gospel , 
in  all  its  fulness,  freeness  and  extent. 

As  “  messengers  of  the  Cross”  you  go  forth  with  the 
Apostle’s  holy  determination  “  not  to  know  anything 
among  men,  save  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified.” — 
(1  Cor.  ii.  2.) 


3 


Tlio  Lord  has  been  pleased  to  bestow  upon  the  renewed 
Brethren’s  Church  the  precious  jewel  of  a  clear  and 
heartfelt  perception  of  the  “  doctrine  of  the  Cross,”  i.  e. 
of  salvation  by  grace,  and  not  of  works,  through  faith  in 
the  merits  of  the  life,  sufferings,  and  death  of  our  Lord 
and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 

To  make  known  this  alone  saving  truth  will  henceforth 
be  both  your  sacred  duty  and  blessed  privilege.  You  are 
not  sent  forth,  as  were  the  prophets  of  the  old  Covenant, 
to  proclaim  the  stem  message  of  wrath;  but  like  the 
apostles  of  the  new  Covenant,  to  preach  the  Gospel  of 
peace,  “  the  good  tidings  of  great  joy,”  that  “  Jesus  Christ 
came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners.”  The  “  law  worketh 
wrath,”  (Rom.  iv.  15)  ;  it  is  apt  to  kindle  the  corrupt 
enmity  of  our  heart,  but  the  Gospel  touches  the  tenderest 
chords  of  nature  in  our  breasts.  It  disarms  the  sinner  of 
his  natural  enmity  against  God,  and  constrains  him  to 
receive  Jesus  as  his  Saviour,  Lord  and  King.  Whilst 
you  will,  therefore,  not  neglect  preaching  the  Law,  (C  for 
the  law  is  good,  if  a  man  use  it  lawfully,”  (1  Tim.  i.  8,) 
the  great  and  constant  theme  of  your  discourses  and  the 
end  of  all  your  preaching  will  be  Christ  crucified,  “  who 
of  God  is  made  unto  us  wisdom  and  righteousness,  and 
sanctification  and  redemption.”  (1  Cor.  i.  30.) 

We  do  not  intend  giving  you  any  special  instructions 
as  to  the  time  when ,  and  the  places  where,  you  are  to 
preach  the  Gospel.  We  would  just  give  you  a  few  hints 
as  to  the  manner  how,  and  the  people  to  whom  you  ought 
to  proclaim  it. 

When  imparting  spiritual  instruction  to  your  hearers, 
study,  first  of  all,  plainness  and  simplicity.  Endeavour  to 
place  your  ideas  in  the  clearest  light,  to  employ  only 


4 


such  words  as  will  be  easily  understood,  and  to  draw  your 
illustrations  from  such  objects  of  nature  or  art  as  are  most 
familiar  to  them.  You  will  find  this  to  be  no  easy  task, 
but  if  you  do  not  shun  the  labour,  you  will  be  richly  re¬ 
warded  by  the  marked  attention  of  your  hearers,  and 
the  evident  benefit  they  will  derive  from  your  preaching. 

And,  secondly,  in  all  your  discourses  we  would  recom¬ 
mend  you  to  be  short.  Though  your  people  professedly  are 
fond  of  long  meetings,  it  remains  true,  that  they  are,  like 
vessels  of  small  dimensions,  easily  filled.  Their  sitting  out 
long  sermons  without  any  apparent  sign  of  weariness,  is 
only  a  proof,  that  much  of  what  the  minister  says,  is  wholly 
lost  upon  them  through  want  of  attention.  But  whilst 
we  recommend  you  to  be  short,  we  would  also  exhort  you 
to  be  frequent  in  your  ministrations,  in  order  to  firmly 
impress  the  truths  of  the  Gospel  upon  their  hearts  and 
minds  to  the  saving  of  their  souls. 

As  to  the  people  to  whom  you  are  to  minister,  you  will 
consider,  first  of  all,  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  souls  under 
your  immediate  care.  The  “  Candidates*  **  and  the  “  Con¬ 
gregation**  meetings  will  afford  you  welcome  opportuni¬ 
ties  for  instructing  the  younger  members  of  your  flock, 
and  building  up  the  older  ones  in  their  most  holy  faith, 
and  at  the  same  time,  making  both  old  and  young  ac¬ 
quainted  with  the  history  and  principles  of  our  beloved 
Church.  But,  secondly,  do  not  forget,  that  there  are 
perishing  sinners  living  around  you,  some  of  whom  you 
may  be  privileged  to  lead  to  Christ.  The  “  meetings  at 
outposts’*  may  prove  blessed  means  for  reaching  the 
hearts  and  consciences  of  such  as  will  not  come  to  church, 
but  will  frequently  attend  those  meetings,  held  at  their 
very  doors. 


§  2.  Pastoral  Visits. 

Pastoral  visits  at  the  homes  of  your  people  form  a 
second  part  of  your  duties,  and  an  important  one. 

There  are  the  sick,  who  long  for  your  spiritual  comfort 
and  advice,  and  to  whom  you  may  administer  it  for  the  last 
time,  if  their  sickness  be  unto  death.  We  beseech  you, 
not  to  delay  your  visit,  when  you  are  sent  for. 

There  are  the  old  and  infirm ,  who  but  for  your  visiting 
them,  may  be  left  without  spiritual  food,  and  who  need  it 
so  much.  Your  people,  as  a  rule,  not  having  learnt  to 
meditate,  are  unable  to  “  inwardly  digest”  former  food, 
and,  therefore,  require  frequent  new  supplies,  lest  their 
souls  be  starved. 

Again,  there  are  the  careless ,  who  need  looking  after, 
lest  they  be  altogether  lost  to  the  church. 

Last,  but  not  least,  are  the  Helpers  of  the  several 
“  districts,”  who  will  always  be  happy  to  see  their  Minis¬ 
ter,  and  from  whom  he  may  obtain  information  that  will 
be  very  useful  to  him  in  his  rounds  of  visiting. 

There  is  hardly  anything  that  will  make  a  congregation 
so  much  attached  to  their  labourer  as  faithful  and  affec¬ 
tionate  pastoral  visits,  which,  at  the  same  time,  bring  the 
people  to  Church  on  Sunday  and  give  the  Minister  sub¬ 
ject-matter  for  his  sermon.  We  cannot  but  very  strongly 
urge  upon  you  the  duty  of  pastoral  visiting. 

§  3.  Speakings. 

Our  “  Speakings ”  at  stated  times  are  a  third  means 
of  benefiting  your  people,  and  one  peculiar  to  the  Bre¬ 
thren^  Church. 

We  are  fully  aware,  that  they  are  not  what  they  have 


6 


been  and  ought  to  be — private  conversations  with  indi¬ 
viduals.  But  we  are  persuaded,  that,  even  imperfect  as 
they  are,  they  are  still  productive  of  much  good,  when 
held  in  the  true  Moravian  way,  which  implies,  that  “  the 
Missionaries’  wives  take  their  respective  share  of  this 
particular  duty,  thus  endeavouring  to  exercise  that  salu¬ 
tary  influence  on  their  own  sex,  peculiar  to  a  well  directed 
female  agency.”  (See  Report  of  the  St.  Thomas  Con¬ 
ference,  Chap.  vii.  §  6.) 

To  the  Missionary  they  present  a  welcome  opportunity 
of  becoming  acquainted  with  the  individual  members  of 
his  flock,  and  of  addressing  to  them  “  a  word  in  season,” 
whilst  they  bring  home  to  his  mind  with  peculiar  force, 
his  sacred  obligation  of  caring  for  each  individual  soul. 
To  the  members ,  on  the  other  hand,  the  speakings  impart 
the  comforting  conviction,  that  they  are  individually  cared 
for,  and  that  they  have  a  friend  to  whom  they  may  un¬ 
bosom  their  souls.  Believing,  that  the  “  abundant  en¬ 
trance”  the  Lord  has  given  us  among  the  black  people, 
both  in  the  West  Indies  and  in  Surinam,  has  been 
chiefly  owing  to  this  individual  care  for  their  souls,  we 
would  earnestly  beseech  you,  faithfully  to  adhere  to  the 
practice  of  giving  speakings  at  stated  times,  in  spite  of 
the  imperfections  inseparable  from  it,  and  notwithstanding 
the  fatigue  of  body  and  mind  it  entails. 

§  4.  Special  Meetings. 

a.  INSTRUCTION  CLASSES. 

It  is  your  duty  to  hold  special  classes  for  those  who 
desire  to  be  advanced  in  church  privileges. 

There  are  the  Candidates  for  Baptism  or  for  Reception 


7 


into  the  Church,  and  those  for  Admission  to  the  Holy 
Communion.  It  is  advisable  to  have  separate  classes  for 
the  former  and  for  the  latter.  Both  are  to  be  taught 
the  doctrines  of  our  most  holy  faith,  as  set  forth  in  our 
“  Summary  of  Christian  Doctrine  but  the  former  ought, 
at  the  same  time,  to  be  made  acquainted  with  the  history 
and  constitution  of  our  Church. 

These  Classes  are  formed,  as  occasion  requires,  of  such 
as  give  evidence  of  piety  and  have  expressed  a  wish  to 
be  advanced  into  higher  church  privileges.  They  must, 
however,  first  be  approved  by  their  respective  Helpers, 
to  whom  their  names  are  mentioned  at  the  regular 
“  Helpers’  Meeting.”  The  classes  are  held  on  a  fixed  day 
in  the  week,  and  continued  for  about  three  or  four 
months. 

The  Reception  or  Confirmation  takes  place  on  a  Sunday 
in  the  “  congregation  meeting,”  in  accordance  with  the 
form  in  use  in  the  respective  Missions. 

In  some  Missions  imported  heathen  Africans  or  Coolies 
will  occasionally  present  themselves  for  Adult  Baptism. 

These  must  first  attend  the  church  and  the  Candidates’ 
speaking  for  some  time,  in  order  that  the  Missionary  may 
get  acquainted  with  the  state  of  their  heart,  and  that  they 
themselves  may  learn  to  know  our  customs  and  rules. 
If  they  give  evidence  of  a  change  of  heart,  they  may 
be  taken  into  the  special  instruction  class,  and  be  baptized 
in  due  time.  After  having  received  the  saci’ament  of 
Holy  Baptism,  they  are  considered  fit  for  admission  to  the 
Lord’s  Supper,  and  will  be  allowed  to  partake  of  it  at  the 
next  opportunity. 


8 


b.  helpers’  meetings. 

The  “  Helpers'  Meetings ”  are  held  at  stated  times, 
generally  once  in  eight  weeks,  for  the  purpose  of  transact¬ 
ing  church-business.  The  Missionary  submits  to  them 
the  names  of  Candidates  for  reception  or  confirmation,  and 
of  such  as  come  under  church-discipline,  makes  inquiries 
after  careless  members  &c.  &c.,  and  calls  upon  them 
to  bring  forward  any  matter  they  may  have  to  communi¬ 
cate.  Once  a  year  he  also  lays  before  them  statements  of 
the  pecuniary  affairs  of  the  congregation,  such  as  the 
disbursement  of  the  Poors’  Cash,  the  amounts  of  the 
church  collections,  congregation  cash,  and  missionary  con¬ 
tributions.  At  these  Helpers’  Meetings  all  such  disputes 
are  settled,  as  could  not  be  disposed  of  by  the  respective 
Helpers  of  the  districts. 

You  cannot  be  too  particular  in  the  selection  of  Bre¬ 
thren  or  Sisters  for  the  office  of  a  Helper.  You  ought 
never  to  appoint  Helpers  without  obtaining  the  aid  and 
advice  of  your  fellow  labourers  in  the  conference,  or  at 
least  of  those  already  in  office.  Neither  can  you  be  too 
careful  in  seeking  to  maintain  the  bond  of  union,  in  the 
spirit  of  brotherly  love,  with  these  your  valuable  assis¬ 
tants,  without  whose  aid  you  will  never  be  able  to  “  rule 
well.”  May  you,  by  the  grace  of  God,  be  enabled  to 
bestow  upon  them  the  same  faithful  care  and  prayerful 
attention,  which  the  elders  at  Ephesus  enjoyed  at  the 
hands  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  who  could  declare  unto  them 
at  parting :  “  Ye  know,  after  what  manner  I  have  been 
with  you  at  all  seasons,  serving  the  Lord  with  all  humi¬ 
lity  of  mind  and  with  many  tears ;  and  how  I  kept  back 
nothing  that  was  profitable  unto  you.  For  I  have  not 


0 


slimmed  to  declare  unto  you  all  the  counsel  of  God.” — - 
(Acts  xx.  18 — 20,  27.) 

§  5.  Church  Discipline. 

The  administration  of  church  discipline  will  also  be 
your  duty,  and  a  painful  one  indeed.  You  must  not, 
however,  be  surprised  or  even  discouraged,  if  you  should 
be  more  frequently  called  upon  to  exercise  it  than  Minis¬ 
ters  are  at  home,  for  you  must  consider  what  sore  temp¬ 
tations  your  people  are  exposed  to,  and  how  weak  they 
are,  upon  the  whole,  to  resist  them.  May  you  seek  for 
grace  to  administer  it  in  the  spirit  of  your  Master,  who, 
whilst  he  denounced  the  proud  and  hypocritical  Pharisees, 
spoke  to  the  penitent  woman  and  said  :  “.Neither  do  I 
condemn  thee;  go  and  sin  no  more.”  (John  viii.  11.) 
The  object  of  all  church  discipline  is,  to  lead  the  offender 
to  repentance,  and  to  vindicate  the  honour  of  the  Church 
of  Christ.  There  are  two  degrees  of  church  discipline  : 
suspension  from  church  privileges,  and  exclusion  from  the 
church.  The  former  is  administered  for  minor  offences, 
the  latter  for  graver  ones,  by  which  public  offence  has 
been  given.  Such  cases  are  mentioned  in  a  congregation 
meeting,  and  the  excluded  person  is  recommended  to  the 
prayers  of  the  church. 

Your  duty  will  be  very  plain  in  all  such  cases  of  public 
scandal,  but  there  will  be  other  cases,  where  you  will  need 
much  wisdom,  lest  you  do  harm,  either  by  too  much 
leniency,  or  too  great  severity.  That  wisdom  will  be 
given  you,  if  “  you  ask  it  of  God,  that  giveth  to  all  men 
liberally  and  upbraideth  not.”  (James  i.  5.)  We  would 
advise  you  to  consult  in  all  cases  of  church-discipline,  the 
opinions  of  your  Helpers,  who  will  [frequently  know  the 


respective  persons  better  than  yourself.  Where  practi¬ 
cable,  the  consent  of  the  Mission  Conference  is  to  be 
obtained. 

Though  the  excluded  cease  to  be  members  of  the 
church,  they  ought  still  to  remain  the  objects  of  your 
tender  solicitude  and  pastoral  intercession.  Like  the 
Good  Shepherd  you  ought  to  follow  them  even  into  the 
wilderness,  if,  by  any  means,  you  may  win  them  back  for 
Christ.  Proposals  for  re-admission  are  also  brought 
before  the  Helpers'  meeting  first,  and  those  Candidates, 
who  are  approved,  are  presented  to  the  Church  in  a 
congregation  meeting.  In  some  Missions  it  is  customary 
to  sing  for  them  a  benedictory  verse.  Public  absolution 
is  in  no  case  to  be  administered  to  them,  as  this  would 
be  quite  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  our  Church,  and  might 
lead  to  serious  abuses. 

§  6.  Education  op  the  Young. 

The  care  for  the  education  of  the  young  will  form  a 
very  important  branch  of  your  work  as  a  Missionary  of 
the  Brethren's  Church,  which,  from  its  earliest  days,  has 
bestowed  particular  attention  upon  the  lambs  of  the  fold. 
Though  we  are  persuaded  that  your  heart  will  naturally 
flow  forth  in  love  to  the  children  of  your  congregation, 
we  desire  to  place  before  you  some  motives,  which  may 
lead  you  to  embrace  them  with  peculiar  interest. 

First  of  all,  consider  the  example  of  Him,  who,  in  all 
things,  ought  to  be  your  great  exemplar.  Can  you  see 
Him  “  take  up  little  children  in  His  arms,  put  His  hands 
upon  them  and  bless  them "  ?  Can  you  hear  Him  say, 
“  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid 
them  not,  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God,"  and  remain 


11 


indifferent  to  tlie  spiritual  well-being  of  the  lambs  of 
your  fold  ? 

Again  :  Consider  what  powerful  influence  you  may 
exercise  upon  the  hearts  of  the  parents  through  the 
instrumentality  of  their  children.  It  is  a  well-known 
fact,  that  parents,  who  had  long  remained  indifferent  to 
the  direct  appeals  of  the  servant  of  God,  have,  at  last, 
been  indirectly  won  for  Christ  through  their  children 
appealing  to  their  hearts  and  consciences  either  by  word 
or  example.  Besides,  there  is  hardly  anything  that  will 
win  the  love  of  the  parents  so  much,  as  when  they  see 
the  Minister  loving,  and  bestowing  affectionate  care  upon, 
their  children. 

Your  influence  upon  the  young  will  be  both  of  a  direct 
and  an  indirect  kind.  The  former  you  will  exercise  when 
you  keep  the  religious  instruction  class  in  the  Day-School, 
or  the  Children's  Meeting,  or  “  Lesson  "  in  the  Sunday- 
School,  or  when  you  otherwise  speak  “  a  word  in  season" 
to  the  young,  as  you  will  have  opportunity.  The  latter 
will  be  felt  through  the  instrumentality  of  your  Teachers. 
It  is,  therefore,  of  the  greatest  importance,  that  you 
should  have  the  right  men  as  Teachers,  and  that  you 
should  skilfully  direct  and  faithfully  superintend  their 
efforts  for  the  mental  and  spiritual  improvement  of  the 
rising  generation. 

a.  DAY-SCHOOL  TEACHERS. 

Your  Day-School  Teachers  will  be,  with  few  excep¬ 
tions,  men  or  women  who  have  passed  through  one  of 
our  Training-Institutions,  and  who,  therefore,  may  be  ex¬ 
pected  to  know  how  to  teach  and  manage  a  school.  They 
will,  however,  still  require  a  good  deal  of  direction  or  en- 


12 


eouragement,  lest  they  adopt  a  wrong  method,  or  grow 
weary  in  well-doing,  when  they  think  that  they  labour 
in  vain.  It  will  be  your  duty,  as  frequently  as  possible, 
to  visit  their  schools,  and  besides  to  give  them  private 
advice  and  instruction.  Let  it  always  be  your  faithful 
endeavour  to  treat  your  Teachers  with  confidence  and 
respect,  and,  by  so  doing,  to  win  their  love  and  esteem. 
Whilst  you  may  bring  to  bear  upon  them  the  power  of 
your  mental  and  moral  superiority,  never  let  them  feel 
the  weight  of  your  superiority  of  office.  May  you  have 
grace  given  you,  to  acknowledge  and  appreciate  the 
talents  the  Lord  has  endowed  them  with,  without  being 
either  jealous  or  disheartened.  Make  it  a  practice,  never 
to  rebuke  or  find  fault  with  a  teacher  before  his  pupils, 
but  to  speak  with  him  privately. 

b.  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  TEACHERS. 

Your  Sunday- School  Teachers  being,  for  the  greater 
part,  lay  members  of  your  congregation,  who  have 
had  no  further  education  beyond  what  our  Day-Schools 
afford,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  you  should 
carefully  prepare  them  for  their  duties  on  the  Sabbath. 
For  this  purpose  the  “  Teachers’  Meeting”  is  kept  on 
some  week-day,  at  which  the  lesson  for  the  coming 
Sunday  is  carefully  gone  through,  and  otherwise  useful 
instruction  imparted  to  them.  You  cannot  be  too  par¬ 
ticular  in  selecting  your  Sunday-School  Teachers,  lest  by 
the  fall  of  one  backslider  the  work  of  many  faithful 
teachers  be  marred,  and  many  “  little  ones  be  offended.” 
Never  prefer  a  clever  man  to  a  pious  one,  but,  in  every  case, 
let  piety  be  the  main  thing  you  look  for.  For  the  chief 
object  of  the  Sunday-School  is  to  bring  souls  to  Christ,  and 


vs 


“  how  can  the  blind  lead  the  blind  V’  Always  treat  your 
Sunday-School  Teachers  with  brotherly  confidence  and 
affectionate  regard ;  bear  with  their  deficiencies,  and 
patiently  try  to  remedy  them.  If  you  work  with  them  in 
harmony  and  love,  you  will  have  a  band  of  faithful  fellow- 
labourers,  whose  influence  for  good  will  be  felt  among 
young  and  old. 

§  7.  The  Raising  op  a  Native  Agency. 

Closely  connected  with  your  labours  for  the  young 
will  be  your  efforts  towards  raising  a  native  ministry. 

You  will  understand,  that,  in  course  of  time,  every 
Mission  must  become  self-sustaining,  i.e.  raise  its  own 
native  agency.  Our  West  India  Missions  having  been 
served  by  European  labourers  for  upwards  of  a  century,  we 
may  reasonably  expect,  that  by  this  time  they  could 
dispense  with  foreign  aid.  But,  alas  !  how  small  is  yet 
the  number  of  native  ministers  !  We  do  not  stop  to 
inquire  how  to  account  for  this  deficiency,  but  would  most 
earnestly  beseech  you  to  do  all  that  lies  in  your  power  to 
remedy  it.  It  is  from  among  the  Teachers  that  those 
men  must  be  selected  who,  in  God’s  providence,  are  to  be 
the  future  labourers  of  our  West  India  congregations. 
Hence  springs  another  most  powerful  motive  for  you  to 
bestow  the  greatest  possible  care  and  attention  upon  your 
Teachers  in  guiding  their  private  studies,  correcting  the 
essays  and  sermons  they  write  under  your  direction,  and 
pointing  out  to  them  the  faults  and  deficiencies  of  their 
public  addresses.  But,  whilst  doing  so,  be  careful  lest 
you  inspire  any  with  the  hope  that,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
they  will  become  Ministers  of  the  Gospel  in  days  to  come. 
Rather  point  out  to  them,  how  much  is  required  to  qualify 


14 


a  man  for  such  a  responsible  post,  and  how,  on  the  other 
hand,  they  may  disqualify  themselves  by  impropriety  of 
conduct  or  by  choosing  an  unsuitable  partner  for  life. 
May  you  not  be  discouraged,  if,  in  some  cases,  your 
efforts  should  not  be  productive  of  such  results  as  you 
had  expected,  or  even  seem  to  be  altogether  lost,  but 
‘ ‘  be  steadfast,  unmovable,  always  abounding  in  the  work 
of  the  Lord,  for  as  much  as  you  know  that  your  labour  is 
not  in  vain  in  the  Lord.” 

§  8.  Efforts  towards  Self-support. 

Another  object  which  you  ought  to  keep  in  view  and 
labour  for  is  the  self-support  of  your  Mission. 

There  are  three  ways  of  supporting  a  Mission,  viz.  : 

1.  By  supplies  from  home. 

2.  By  commerce  or  trades ,  carried  on  by  the  Mission¬ 

aries. 

3.  By  the  contributions  of  the  Mission  churches. 

It  is  the  last  named  which  we  understand  by  the  term 
self-support. 

In  connection  with  this  subject,  we  would  beg  you 
always  to  bear  in  mind  that  we  are  “  United  Brethren.” 
Our  principle  is,  that  all  the  congregations,  in  each 
respective  Island,  form  one  body,  and  that,  consequently, 
it  is  the  duty  of  the  stronger  members  to  support  the 
weaker  ones.  We  cannot  expect  to  see  some  of  the 
smaller  congregations  self-supporting  when  thrown  upon 
their  own  resources,  nor  could  we  allow  the  rich  income 
of  the  larger  ones  to  be  spent  for  the  exclusive  benefit 
of  those  favoured  stations. 

You  are  to  labour  for  this  highly  desirable  end  by 
constantly  inculcating  upon  your  members  the  scriptural 


15 


duty  of  supporting  a  Gospel  ministry  on  Gospel  prin¬ 
ciples. 

This  duty  is  plainly  laid  down  by  the  apostle  Paul  in 
1  Cor.  ix.  14  :  “  Even  so  hath  the  Lord  ordained,  that  they 
which  preach  the  Gospel,  should  live  of  the  Gospel ”  (read 
vers.  7 — 14). 

The  principle  you  find  in  Matt.  x.  10,  where  our 
Saviour  says :  (<  Freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give  \” 
This  is  the  true  Gospel  principle.  The  question  of  Peter, 
“  What  shall  we  have  therefore  V’  was  legal,  and  sprang 
from  a  heart  which  had  not  yet  fully  passed  through 
into  the  perfect  law  of  liberty.  If  you  work  this  legal 
principle,  and  appeal  to  the  selfishness  of  the  natural 
heart,  you  may  meet  with  much  success  at  first,  but  it 
will  not  be  lasting,  because  its  foundation  is  unsound. 
But  if  you  faithfully  and  unremittingly  seek  to  impress 
upon  the  hearts  of  your  people  their  sacred  obligations 
to  Him,  who  loved  them  first  and  gave  Himself  for 
them :  if  you  shew  them  how  much  they  have  received  as 
a  free  gift  of  grace,  and  how  much  they,  therefore,  owe 
to  your  Lord  and  theirs,  you  will  not  fail  to  see  their 
liberality  increasing  and  finally  abounding  in  good 
works,  which  will  be  the  sweet  fruits  of  love  and 
gratitude. 

In  order  to  aid  your  people  in  making  their  contri¬ 
butions  regular  and  systematic,  you  will  do  well  to  direct 
their  attention  to  1  Cor.  xvi.  2,  and,  on  the  strength  of 
the  apostle’s  injunction  laid  down  there,  enjoin  upon  them 
the  regular  practice  of  laying  by  every  week  a  certain 
portion  of  their  earnings,  say  one  tenth. 


16 


§  9.  The  care  of  the  Poor. 

The  care  of  the  Poor  will  form  another  part  of  your 
pastoral  duties. 

Such  there  will  be  in  every  congregation,  and  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  members  to  provide  for  them  according  to 
their  ability.  There  have  been  different  modes  adopted 
in  the  several  Missions  of  raising  the  poor’s  cash.  In 
whatever  way  collected,  the  funds  will  be  under  your 
administration.  You  will  require  a  good  deal  of  prudence 
and  caution,  lest  you  support  the  undeserving  at  the  ex¬ 
pense  of  such  as  are  really  in  need,  or  lest  you  encourage 
idleness.  Your  Helpers  will  enable  you  to  find  out,  who 
are  the  poor  indeed,  if  you  ask  them  collectively.  You 
will  do  well  to  follow  the  directions  laid  down  by  the 
apostle  in  1  Tim.  v.  1 — 16.  We  would  advise  you  not 
to  make  it  a  practice  to  give  alms  to  the  poor  and  infirm, 
when  you  visit  them  in  their  homes ;  lest  the  expectation 
of  the  pecuniary  aid  detract  their  attention  from  the  Word 
of  God  you  read  to  them.  You  had  better  send  them 
regular  weekly  allowances  through  the  hands  of  their 
Helpers.  We  would  also  advise  you  to  lay  an  annual  or 
quarterly  account  of  the  distribution  of  the  poor’s  cash 
before  your  Helpers,  or  Committee  Members. 

§  10.  Mission  Conferences. 

It  will  be  your  duty,  or  rather  your  privilege,  to 
attend  the  Mission  Conferences,  which  are  held  at  stated 
times. 

The  object  of  these  Conferences  is  to  deliberate  and 
decide  on  matters  relating  to  the  welfare  of  the  Mission 
in  the  Island.  Minutes  are  kept  of  the  proceedings.  All 


17 


tlio  Brethren  are  expected  to  attend,  unless  prevented  by 
some  adequate  cause. 

When  stating  your  opinion  in  Conference,  do  it  always 
in  the  spirit  of  Christian  humility  and  meekness.  Avoid 
making  long  speeches,  as  well  as  engaging  in  private 
conversation  with  your  neighbour,  whilst  a  discussion  is 
going  on.  Let  it  be  your  faithful  endeavour  to  manifest 
the  same  interest  in  the  concerns  of  your  Brethren,  as  you 
would  in  those  of  your  own  Station,  and  to  advance  the 
general  cause  even  at  your  own  personal  sacrifice.  These 
Conferences  will  also  be  welcome  opportunities  to  you  for 
meeting  with  dear  fellow-labourers,  and  having  your 
hands  strengthened  and  your  soul  refreshed  by  them. 
(Prov.  xxvii.  17.) 

In  the  larger  Islands  Helpers’  Conferences  have  been 
established,  which  appoint  the  Brethren  and  Sisters  to 
their  respective  Stations,  and  have  the  general  oversight 
of  the  Mission.  May  you  have  grace  given  you  cheerfully 
to  follow  its  calls,  for  the  Lord’s  sake,  whilst  you  love  and 
esteem  its  members  as  dear  fellow-labourers.  In  cases  of 
dispute,  you  will  have  the  right  of  appeal  to  the  Helpers’ 
Conference,  which  will  endeavour  to  settle  the  matter, 
and,  if  unable  to  do  so,  will  refer  it  to  the  Unity’s  Elders’ 
Conference  for  its  final  decision. 

§  11.  Duties  towards  the  Mission-Board. 

We  would  next  direct  your  attention  to  the  duties 
you  owe  to  the  Mission- Board. 

It  is  of  great  importance  for  the  prosperity  of  the  work, 
that  the  Mission-Board  be  well  informed  on  the  internal 
and  external  condition  of  each  Mission.  To  this  end  the 
Superintendents  and  Wardens  of  the  several  Missions 

B 


18 


carry  on  a  regular  correspondence  with  the  Brethren  of 
the  Mission  Department  of  the  Unity’s  Elders’  Confer¬ 
ence.  But  beside  this — 

a.  Every  Brother  in  the  service  is  expected  to  ivrite  at 
least  once  a  year  to  the  Unity’s  Elders’  Conference,  and 
to  forward  through  the  Superintendent  a  Report  and  nu¬ 
merical  Returns  of  Congregation  and  Schools.  In  your 
letters  you  will  make  it  a  point,  we  trust,  to  be  both 
candid  and  confidential  towards  your  Correspondent, 
knowing  that  neither  will  your  candour  be  disapproved 
nor  your  confidence  put  to  shame.  Taking  a  paternal  in¬ 
terest  in  you  and  in  your  work,  the  Mission-Board  desires 
to  learn  from  your  letters,  both  how  you  are,  in  a  tempo¬ 
ral  and  spiritual  point  of  view,  and  what  success  has  at¬ 
tended  your  labour  under  the  blessing  of  the  Lord.  We 
do  not  expect  you  to  send  us  only  favourable  accounts. 
If  you  tell  us  also  of  your  trials  and  discouragements,  we 
shall  be  the  better  able  to  sympathise  with,  and  to  pray 
for,  you.  Any  suggestions  you  may  have  to  offer  will  be 
received  in  a  brotherly  spirit,  and  meet  with  due  con¬ 
sideration,  if  stated  in  humility.  Be  very  careful,  lest 
you  bring  an  unfounded  accusation  against  any  of  your 
fellow-labourers,  and,  in  all  such  cases,  observe  the  rule 
laid  down  by  our  Saviour.  (Matt,  xviii.  15 — 17.) 

b.  You  are  expected  to  keep  a  Diary,  in  which  you  enter 
all  important  occurrences  connected  with  your  Station. 
Great  things  often  spring  from  small  sources.  The  entries 
you  make  will  not  only  be  interesting,  but  also  profitable 
to  your  successor,  by  enabling  him  to  judge  present  cases 
from  past  occurrences.  We  would,  therefore,  strongly 
urge  upon  you  to  keep  your  Diary  with  care,  so  that  it 
may  present  a  faithful  record  of  the  work  carried  on  at 


19 


your  Station,  of  your  cares  and  sorrows,  your  joys  and 
encouragements,  and,  above  all,  of  the  Lord’s  mercy  and 
faithfulness  to  you  and  the  people  entrusted  to  your  care. 

c.  Be  faithful  and  punctual  in  making  your  entries  in 
the  Church-book  at  your  Station,  whether  they  relate  to 
Births  and  Baptisms,  Receptions,  Confirmations,  Mar¬ 
riages,  or  Deaths.  All  entries  are  to  be  made  in  your 
own  handwriting.  If  a  Brother  from  another  Station  is 
obliged  to  make  them,  let  him  sign  his  name.  An  extract 
from  the  Church-book  of  the  births,  baptisms,  marriages, 
and  deaths  occurring  in  the  Mission  family  is  to  be  sent 
annually  to  the  Unity’s  Elders’  Conference  through  the 
hands  of  the  Superintendent,  as  well  as  the  annual  state¬ 
ment  of  the  income  and  expenses  of  your  Station,  with 
your  signature ,  through  those  of  the  Warden. 

§  12.  Duties  towards  your  Neighbours. 

We  would  still  say  a  few  words  about  the  duties  you 
owe  to  your  neighbours. 

If  they  are  Missionaries  of  other  denominations,  “  en¬ 
deavour  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of 
peace.”  “  Love  them  as  brethren,  and  esteem  them  very 
highly  in  love  for  their  work’s  sake.”  Let  it  be  your 
delight  to  embrace  the  opportunities  that  will  offer  for 
meeting  them  on  Missionary  or  Bible  platforms.  Whilst 
you  respect  their  private  views,  faithfully  maintain  your 
principles,  as  members  of  the  Brethren’s  Church.  “  Rejoice 
with  them  that  do  rejoice  and  weep  with  them  that  weep.” 
Ever  guard  against  proselyting,  but  if  members  of  other 
churches  are  led  by  change  of  residence  or  by  marriage 
to  seek  fellowship  with  us,  receive  them,  yet  not  without 
a  letter  of  recommendation  from  their  Minister. 


20 


If  your  neighbours  are  colonists,  observe  the  apostolic 
rule :  “  If  it  be  possible,  as  much  as  lieth  in  you,  live 
peaceably  with  all  men.”  (Rom.  xii.  18.)  Whilst  you 
will  be  careful  not  to  form  an  intimate  acquaintance  with 
the  ungodly,  you  will  withdraw  from  none  in  time  of  dis¬ 
tress,  and  endeavour  to  benefit  all  in  a  spiritual  point  of 
view.  If  any  of  them  should  seek  for  admission  into  our 
Church,  you  will  receive  them  in  the  ordinary  way,  with¬ 
out  respect  of  persons. 

In  your  relation  to  the  authorities,  you  will  feel  it  your 
duty  both  to  shew  loyalty  yourself,  and  to  exhort  your 
people  to  be  “subject  to  the  higher  powers,  not  only  for 
wrath,  but  also  for  conscience”  (Rom.  xiii.  1 — 7),  and  to 
“lead  a  quiet  and  peaceable  life  in  all  godliness  and 
honesty”  (1  Tim.  ii.  2),  “  that  the  name  of  God,  and  His 
doctrine  be  not  blasphemed.”  (1  Tim.  vi.  1.) 

Finally,  may  you  and  your  people,  by  the  grace  of  God, 
be  able  to  fulfil  the  Apostle’s  exhortation  :  “  Owe  no  man 
anything  but  to  love  one  another;  for  he  that  loveth 
another  hath  fulfilled  the  law.”  (Rom.  xiii.  8.) 

Notice : — 

II.— THE  PRINCIPLES  WHICH  ARE  TO  ANIMATE 
AND  GUIDE  YOU  IN  THE  PERFORMANCE 
OF  YOUR  DUTIES. 

“  Take  this  child  and  nurse  it  for  me,  and  I  will  give 
thee  thy  wages.”  So  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh  spoke  to 
the  mother  of  Moses,  and  “  the  woman  took  the  child  and 
nursed  it.”  (Exod.  ii.  9.)  Her  wages  she  did  undoubt¬ 
edly  receive,  but  it  was  not  these,  but  a  mother’s  love, 


21 


which  made  her  attend  with  a  mother’s  care  to  the  dear 
boy  she  had  borne. 

In  like  manner  every  faithful  Missionary  will  receive 
his  “  reward”  (1  Cor.  iii.  14),  but  it  is  not  the  reward  he 
labours  for.  No ;  there  dwell  in  his  heart  higher  princi¬ 
ples,  which  God  implanted  there  by  His  Holy  Spirit,  when 
He  called  him  to  be  His  own,  and  which  animate  him  to 
be  diligent  in  business  and  fervent  in  spirit,  whilst  serv¬ 
ing  the  Lord. 

There  are  three  great  principles  to  which  we  would 
direct  your  attention. 

§  1.  Gratitude  to  tiie  Saviour. 

The  first  and  greatest  is  :  Gratitude  to  the  Saviour. 

It  Avas  this  principle  which  filled  the  soul  of  the  venera¬ 
ble  Founder  of  our  Missions,  Count  Zinzendorf,  after  he 
had  beheld  the  “  Man  of  sorrows”  crowned  with  thorns, 
and  listened  to  His  appeal :  “  This  I  did  for  thee  ;  what 
doest  thou  for  me  ?”  and  which  caused  him  to  go  forth 
with  the  message  of  love,  not  only  to  his  fellow-Chris- 
tians  at  home,  but  also  to  the  poor  heathen  abroad,  in 
order  “  to  win  souls  for  the  Lamb.” 

And  must  not  the  same  principle  be  uppermost  in  your 
breast,  when  you  remember  what  Jesus  has  done  for 
your  soul  ?  How  He  loved  you  and  gave  Himself  for  you, 
that  He  might  redeem  you  from  death  and  hell  ?  How 
faithfully  He  sought  you,  when  you  were  yet  a  wandering 
sheep  how  joyfully  He  took  you  upon  His  shoulders  and 
brought  you  to  His  fold  ?  How  patiently  He  has  been 
teaching  you  in  that  fold,  by  His  Word  and  by  His 
Spirit,  and  thus  preparing  you  for  His  service  ?  Yes ; 
and  when  you  call  to  mind,  how  all  these  were  free  acts 


22 


of  sovereign  mercy  on  His  part,  without  any  worth 
or  merit  on  yours  ?  “  Freely  ye  have  received,  freely 

give  !**  Being  animated  by  this  most  powerful  principle, 
how  fervent  will  be  your  'preaching,  how  self-forgetting 
your  labour ,  how  humble  your  service. 

Knowing,  that  the  Saviour  yearns  after  the  salvation 
of  your  hearers  as  much  as  He  did  after  yours,  and  that 
“  He  shall  see  of  the  travail  of  His  soul  and  be  satisfied,” 
(Isa.  liii.  11,)  can  you  be  otherwise  than  fervent  in  spirit, 
when  proclaiming  the  dying  love  of  Jesus  and  inviting 
your  perishing  fellow-sinners  to  come  and  “  take  of  the 
water  of  life  freely  ?** 

Again  knowing,  that  your  Master  “  took  upon  Himself 
the  form  of  a  servant,  humbled  Himself  and  became  obe¬ 
dient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross,”  and  that 
He  did  it  all  from  love  to  your  soul,  can  you  feel  other¬ 
wise  than  ready  to  ‘  spend  and  be  spent*  “for  Christ  ?** 
Will  you  account  any  labour  too  great,  any  employment 
too  mean,  any  sacrifice  too  costly,  which  may  promote 
His  glory  and  the  salvation  of  immortal  souls  ? 

Lastly  knowing,  that  all  you  have  and  all  you  are,  is  a 
free  gift  of  sovereign  mercy  from  Him,  who  deigns  to 
employ  you  in  His  service;  and  that  “neither  he  that 
planteth  is  anything,  neither  he  that  watereth,  but  God 
that  giveth  the  increase/*  (1  Cor.  iii.  7,)  you  will  not  be 
elated,  if  the  Lord  crowns  your  labours  with  success,  but 
you  will  say  with  the  Psalmist :  “  Not  unto  us,  0  Lord, 
not  unto  us,  but  unto  thy  name  give  glory,  for  thy  mercy 
and  for  thy  truth*s  sake.**  (Ps.  cxv.  1.) 


23 


§  2.  Compassion  for  Immortal  Souls. 

A  second  principle  is :  tender  compassion  for  immortal 
souls. 

Think  of  the  value  of  an  immortal  soul.  Do  you  wish 
to  learn  it,  go  to  the  cross.  What  an  incalculable  value 
must  Jesus  have  set  upon  the  souls  of  men,  when  to 
save  them  from  perdition  He  shed  His  own  most  precious 
blood  ? 

Again,  think  of  the  multitudes  living  around  you,  who 
are  still  without  God,  without  Christ,  and  without  hope 
in  this  world  ?  Think,  what  misery  they  now  feel,  and 
what  greater  misery  awaits  them  hereafter,,  if  they  are 
not  saved ! 

Must  not  considerations  such  as  these  move  your  pity 
and  cause  your  bowels  to  yearn  with  tender  compassion 
towards  the  perishing  people  around  you.  And  being 
animated  by  this  tender  solicitude,  you  will  not  fail  to  be 
faithful  in  seeking  the  lost,  patient  in  tending  those  that 
have  been  found,  and  constant  in  your  intercession  for  all. 

Ah  !  dear  Brethren,  it  requires  great  faithfulness  in 
seeking  the  lost,  for  the  wandering  sheep  have  gone  far 
astray.  Many  a  weary  walk  will  you  take  in  vain ;  many 
an  earnest  call  will  be  lost  in  the  air ;  many  a  kind  en¬ 
treaty  will  be  slighted.  But  tender  love  for  their  be¬ 
nighted  souls  will  not  allow  you  to  give  up  your  search, 
till  you  have  found  the  poor  sheep  and  brought  it  home 
with  joy.  Strong  is  the  power  of  Satan  in  holding  cap¬ 
tive  the  souls  of  men,  but  stronger — we  trust — will  be 
your  compassion  for  them,  which  will  urge  you  forward, 
till  you  have  snatched  them  out  of  his  hands  and  brought 
them  as  trophies  to  Immanuel. 


24 


And  as  you  have  been  faithful  in  seeking  the  lost,  so 
you  will  be  patient  in  tending  the  sheep  within  the  fold. 

If  you  have  learnt  to  know  your  own  heart,  you  will 
not  be  surprised  or  discouraged,  if  you  meet  with  many 
trials  and  disappointments  in  your  pastoral  care  of  souls. 
How  many  are  there  in  every  congregation,  who  “  run 
well  for  a  season  and  then  are  hindered.”  Alas  !  and 
there  are  some  whose  progress  is  hardly  anything  more 
than  a  constant  falling  and  rising  again.  What  is  to  bear 
you  up  under  such  trials  of  your  faith,  such  disappoint¬ 
ments  of  your  sweetest  hopes,  when  you  see  the  fairest 
flowers  drooping  and  apparently  ready  to  fade  for  ever. 
What  will  give  you  courage  to  labour  on  in  hope,  even 
though  it  seem  to  be  against  hope  ?  What  alone  will 
preserve  you  from  using  harsh  legal  measures,  which  only 
tend  to  harden  backsliders  yet  more  ?  Nothing  will  but 
again  tender  love  for  the  souls  entrusted  to  your  care, 
whom  the  Saviour  bears  with  unspeakable  long-suffering, 
and  whom  you  may  yet  regain  for  Him,  if  you  will  but 
patiently  persevere  in  tending  them.  0  that  you  could 
say  to  your  flock,  what  the  apostle  wrote  to  his  beloved 
Thessalonians  :  “We  were  gentle  among  you,  even  as 
a  nurse  cherisheth  her  children :  so  being  affectionately 
desirous  of  you,  we  were  willing  to  have  imparted  unto 
you,  not  the  Gospel  of  God  only,  but  also  our  own  souls, 
because  ye  were  dear  unto  us.”  (1  Thess.  ii.  7,  8.) 

Lastly,  if  this  tender  compassion  for  immortal  souls 
fills  your  heart,  it  cannot  but  make  you  constant  in  your 
intercessions  for  thern. 

You  see  their  misery,  you  know  their  danger,  and  you 
feel  your  insufficiency  to  rescue  them  from  perdition. 
What  are  you  to  do  but  to  go  to  the  throne  of  grace,  and 


25 


seek  tlie  help  of  that  Spirit  who  alone  can  make  “the 
dead  bones  live/*  and  the  living  souls  thrive  and  prosper? 
O  might  you  join  the  prophet  and  say  :  “  For  Zion’s  sake 
will  I  not  hold  my  peace,  and  for  Jerusalem’s  sake  will  I 
not  rest,  until  the  righteousness  thereof  go  forth  as 
brightness,  and  the  salvation  thereof  as  a  lamp  that 
burneth.”  (Isa.  lxii.  1.) 

§  3.  Conscientious  regard  to  the  expectations  op  the 
Church  and  Congregation. 

A  conscientious  regard  to  the  expectations  of  the 
Church  that  sends  you ,  and  the  Congregation  you  are 
called  to  serve. 

Consider  the  confidence  the  Church  places  in  you,  in  send¬ 
ing  you  forth,  as  a  soldier  of  the  cross,  to  occupy  a  solitary 
outpost,  where  no  eyes  will  be  upon  you  but  those  of  our 
Great  Captain.  Think  also  of  the  childlike  confidence 
with  which  the  members  of  your  flock  receive  you,  a 
perfect  stranger,  as  a  messenger  of  Christ  for  their 
salvation. 

Again  consider,  what  the  Church  expects  of  every 
Missionary  she  sends  forth,  which  is  nothing  less  than 
that,  like  the  Apostle,  you  will  be  “  ready  to  spend  and 
be  spent  for  Christ.”  Could  you  disappoint  her  hopes  ? 
Again,  knowing  that  your  congregation  expects  to  receive 
at  your  hands  the  bread  of  life,  could  you  feel  content  in 
offering  her  nothing  but  straw  ?  0  no  !  Your  con¬ 

science  will  make  you  diligent  in  your  work ,  circumspect 
in  your  walk,  and  earnest  in  your  prayers. 

You  will  enter  the  service  with  the  burning  desire 
to  work  for  the  Lord  with  all  your  strength.  But  you 
will  at  once  meet  with  an  enemy,  that  will  sorely  tempt 

c 


26 


yon  to  become  “  slothful  in  "business.”  We  refer  to  that 
lethargy  of  body  and  mind,  which  a  tropical  climate  is  so 
apt  to  induce.  What  is  to  bear  you  up,  lest  you  fall  a 
prey  to  the  ensnaring  influences  of  this  subtle  foe  ? 
WTiat  but  the  constant  remembrance  of  the  high  and 
sacred  expectations  the  Church  at  home  entertains  of 
your  usefulness  as  a  Missionary  of  the  Cross,  which  will 
urge  you  on  to  maintain  a  constant  struggle  with  the  foe, 
however  painful  it  may  be.  Thus  you  will  not  fail  to  be 
diligent  both  in  your  public  ministrations  and  in  your 
private  studies.  We  take  it  for  granted  that  you  are 
deeply  impressed  with  the  fact,  that  the  improvement  of 
your  mind  is  intimately  connected  with  your  usefulness 
as  a  Missionary,  and  that  you  are  fully  resolved  to  pursue 
the  studies  you  have  commenced  at  home.  Allow  us  to 
remind  you,  that  all  your  studies  should  have  a  bearing 
on  your  great  work,  the  salvation  of  souls.  We  need  not 
tell  you,  that  you  ought  to  make'  the  Bible  your  chief 
study,  following  the  advice  of  the  apostle  Paul,  given  to 
his  son  in  the  faith,  Timothy :  ‘"‘"Give  attention  to  reading, 
to  exhortation,  to  doctrine.  Meditate  upon  these  things ; 
give  thyself  wholly  to  them,  that  thy  profiting  may 
appear  to  all.”  (1  Tim.  iv.  13 — 15.)  As  you  will  be 
diligent  in  your  work,  so  you  will  also  be  circumspect  in 
your  walk. 

Need  we  remind  you  how  needful  this  is  for  you,  who 
are  like  a  city  set  on  a  hill,  that  cannot  be  hid ;  for  you 
who  are  to  be  “  the  light  of  the  world,”  “  the  salt  of  the 
earth,”  the  exemplar  of  your  flock  ?  needful  both  for 
your  own  sakes  and  for  the  good  of  others,  doubly 
needful  in  a  land  that  “  lieth  in  wickedness  ”  ? 

There  is  a  tendency  in  every  thing  human  to  find  a 


27 


common  level.  If  the  standard  of  piety  be  low,  how 
readily,  alas  !  the  mind  will  sink  down  to  it !  From  this 
quarter  you  will  be  in  peculiar  danger,  therefore  “  take 
heed  unto  thyself.” 

You  will  require  to  be  circumspect : 

1st,  In  your  intercourse  with  men  of  the  world.  Situated 
as  you  may  be  in  a  part  of  the  world,  where  there  are  but 
few  educated  people,  you  may  not  be  indisposed  to  associate 
with  such  as  there  are,  and  they,  on  the  other  hand,  may  be 
equally  willing  to  associate  with  you  for  want  of  more  con¬ 
genial  society.  In  your  intercourse  with  such,  you  will 
require  to  be  “  wise  as  serpents,  and  harmless  as  doves,” 
lest  you  suffer  loss  in  your  own  soul,  lest  you  give  offence 
to  your  people,  and  lest  you  deter  from  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  those  men  of  the  world,  whom  you  might  have, 
otherwise,  gained  for  Christ.  For  let  us  remind  you, 
though  you  are  called  to  serve  the  blacks,  you  have  a 
mission  to  the  whites  also,  who  are  your  neighbours,  and 
whom  you  ought  not  to  pass  by  in  the  phaiisaical  pride 
of  the  priest. 

2nd,  In  your  intercourse  with  your  fellow -labourers, 
lest  you  offend  your  Brother.  Consider  what  the 
Church  at  home  would  say  were  she  to  learn,  that 
those  soldiers  whom  she  had  sent  forth  to  fight  the 
enemies  of  Christ,  had  fallen  out  in  their  own  camp. 
Let  it  be  your  earnest  resolution  to  do  all  in  your  power 
to  avoid  either  giving  or  taking  offence.  To  this  end 
watch  over  your  tempers;  address  your  Brethren  in  the 
language  of  gentleness,  meekness,  and  charity,  and  vie 
with  each  other  in  mutual  kind  attentions  and  good 
offices,  thus  fulfilling  the  apostle’s  injunction :  “  Be  ye 
kindly  affectionate  one  to  another,  with  brotherly  love,  in 
honour  preferring  one  another.”  (Rom.  xii.  10.) 


28 


But  the  more  faithful  you  will  be  in  these  your  endea¬ 
vours  to  be  both  diligent  in  your  work  and  circumspect 
in  your  walk,  the  more  you  will  find  that  your  strength  is 
“not  sufficient  for  these  things.”  And  therefore  you 
will  also  be  instant  and  earnest  in  your  prayers  for  Divine 
help.  And  being  thus  a  constant  suppliant  at  the  door 
of  mercy,  you  will  learn  to  know  the  secret  of  the  apostle 
Paul’s  success,  who  said :  “  When  I  am  weak,  then  am  I 
strong,”  (2  Cor.  xii.  16),  and  who  could  add  and  say  : 
“I  can  do  all  things  through  Christ,  which  strengthened 
me.”  (Phil.  iv.  13.) 

Lastly,  dear  Brethren,  whilst  these  powerful  motives 
animate  you  in  the  performance  of  your  sacred  duties, 
you  may  take  to  yourself  the  sweet  comfort  of  God’s  holy 
Word,  that  “  your  labour  will  not  be  in  vain  in  the  Lord,” 
and  that  a  reward  of  grace  awaits  you  in  the  end. 
(1  Cor.  xv.  38;  1  Cor.  iii.  8 ;  Matt.  xxv.  23.) 

Hoping  that  these  Instructions,  which  •  have  been 
dictated  by  love  and  paternal  solicitude  for  your  future 
usefulness,  will  be  received  by  you  in  the  spirit  of  meek¬ 
ness  and  love,  we  “commend  you  to  God,  and  to  the 
word  of  His  grace,  which  is  able  to  build  you  up,  and  to 
give  you  an  inheritance  among  all  them  that  are  sanc¬ 
tified.”  (Acts  xxii.  32.) 

The  Members  of  the  Mission  Department 
of  the  Unity’s  Elders’  Conference. 


Bertiielsdorf,  November,  1866. 


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